Work on Sacred Heart gym halted over parking issue

Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart has been ordered to stop work on its new $2.5 million gymnasium until the school submits its plans for parking to the Town of Amherst.

The project under construction at the rear of the school on Main Street previously had received site plan approval from the town’s Planning Board, but it wasn’t until recently the Building Department discovered that the issue of parking had not been adequately resolved.

The stop-work order was issued by the Building Department Monday, and then reaffirmed by the Town Board by a 4-2 vote at its Monday night meeting.

The school should never have been issued a permit and needs to submit a site plan for 167 parking spaces, said Councilmember Guy R. Marlette.

“Our job is to ensure all the rules, regulations and codes are followed by everybody,” Marlette said. “Unfortunately, in this case, I don’t think they’re being followed.”